Grania, daughter of Finnoulla and Guthrum, plays in the wicker basket which will later become the body of the Wicker Man. In ancient Celtic times, a large man-shaped basket of wicker was created to help the clannsfolk say goodbye to the things of the year past, and to look forward to the coming year. Before being burned on the bonfire, special items such as food offerings to the gods, or pieces of paper with messages to those who have gone before us, are placed inside the wicker man. We all stand around the fire, and watch as the smoke rises to the sky, carrying the wicker man and all his contents to the otherworld. After these somber moments of reflection, our spirits now lighter without the burdens of the old year, we revel in the thoughts of the new year to come, and we drink home-brewed mead and ale to toast the blessings the gods have already given us.
Samhain, 2000